Miyajima Sakura slowly recovered, letting out a clear breath.
She walked and chatted with Hayato about daily life.
"Murae, you... seem to have a lot of experience with sales."
"Yes, because I live alone."
Hayato, in his previous life and this life, had always been alone.
The former Hayato wasn't rich, and in this life, he was utterly poor, so snatching cheap goods was an essential and very skilled ability for him.
The unfortunate thing was that after online shopping became popular, snatching goods turned into a battle of internet speed, and Hayato's home's slow connection had no advantage.
"Oh, Murae, do you live alone?"
"Yes."
"Where are your family members?"
"Overseas."
Hayato said. When he put it that way, it sounded like he was some rich young master.
But it wasn't really a lie, after all, he only had one guardian—his aunt working in Hawaii.
"I see."
Miyajima Sakura tilted her head in thought, then spoke with her usual gentleness."Then, Hayashi-kun, would you like to come over to my house for dinner? My mother is an excellent cook, and… my grandfather also practices kendo, so he would surely welcome you."
"…?"
Hayato blinked, staring at Sakura. Does this girl even realize what she's saying?
"…?"
Sakura tilted her head again, her long black hair swaying slightly. From her expression, she genuinely seemed unaware of the weight of her own invitation.
Hayato fell silent for a moment.
"…I still have some things to take care of."
Sakura's shoulders sank slightly, but she nodded obediently.
By then, the two had already reached the entrance to the subway. Their trains went in opposite directions.
After handing Sakura the bag of eggs and groceries he had been carrying, Hayato gave a small wave. The two parted ways there.
But even after her slender figure disappeared beyond the ticket gate, Hayato still found himself lost in thought.
Damn it… why is this senpai from the carp-banner club so much more innocent than I imagined? Who in their right mind invites someone they've only met twice straight to their family's dinner table?!
Hayato wasn't some kind of hypnotist. If he really went, the Miyajima household would eat him alive.
…Or maybe not eat him, but something close enough.
Unaware of his inner panic, Sakura had turned around from a distance. She waved energetically, her voice carrying across the station entrance:
"Goodbye, Hayashi-kun!"
"…Ah, yeah."
Hayato placed a hand over his chest, forcing himself to respond with a small wave.
Tch…
Even as he sat down on the train heading home, the faint fragrance of Sakura still lingered around him. He frowned. What the hell is this? Did I catch some kind of strange illness?
Only later, after touching the scarf wrapped around his neck, did he realize—
"Ah… I forgot to return it."
Good, good. It wasn't that he couldn't get her out of his mind. He just had her scarf. Nothing else. He was safe. Not corrupted.
…
Meanwhile, Sakura arrived home.
Her house was also a traditional kendo dojo, the faint smell of tatami mats seeping out from the sliding paper doors.
When she pushed open the kitchen door, her mother—Miyajima Tsubaki—was already at work preparing dinner. Hearing the sound, Tsubaki turned her head.
Mother and daughter bore such a striking resemblance that, at a glance, they looked more like sisters than parent and child. The same purple eyes, the same elegant figures.
"Oh, Sakura, you're back… Eh? You bought this much today?" Tsubaki raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Weren't there supposed to be a lot of people fighting for the sales?"
"There were, but…" Sakura smiled softly, "the friend I went with was very good at it. Thanks to him, I managed just fine."
"Friend…? Wasn't it Ayaka who went with you?"
Tsubaki knew Ayaka well enough—though lively, that girl was absolutely hopeless when it came to household matters.
"Ah! That's right, Ayaka!" Sakura suddenly remembered. She bowed lightly, "Sorry, Mother. I need to tell Ayaka something, so I'll be in my room."
"…Mm."
Tsubaki gave a small nod, watching Sakura leave. Her lips curved faintly. So, you finally made a new friend, Sakura… That's good.
Back in her room, Sakura hurriedly opened her phone. Though clumsy with technology, she had at least mastered the basics of the Line messaging app.
Ayaka had asked her earlier to livestream the "date," but Sakura had refused. Constantly looking at her phone while with someone would have been terribly rude. Now that she was home, she felt she should at least give a report.
Sakura: I'm home.
Ayaka: Yosh!!
The reply came instantly. Before Sakura even processed what "yosh" meant, Ayaka had already called.
The sudden ringtone startled her so much she nearly dropped the phone. With her reflexes, she just managed to catch it and hurriedly answered.
"H-hello…?"
"You're back, right?" Ayaka's voice burst out at high speed, "I've been lying in bed forever waiting for your message… So, Hayashi-kun showed up on time, right?"
If it had dragged on this late, he must have come.
"…No. Hayashi-kun was… an hour late."
"Wha—what!?" Ayaka shrieked into the receiver. "That guy was late for your first proper outing?! And you still waited for him?! Didn't we agree you'd ditch him if he didn't show up by 12:30?!"
"Mm… But in the end, he did come." Sakura smiled softly. "If I had left, Hayashi-kun would've come all the way for nothing, wouldn't he?"
"Why was he late? Did he give you a reason? …He didn't, right? That's scummy as hell."
"No, no." Sakura shook her head, still defending him. "Hayashi-kun was very honest. He told me himself he was 'delayed by something on the way.'"
"'Delayed by something on the way' is basically just avoiding the truth!" Ayaka spat. "He didn't tell you who, right? For all you know, he could've been with another girl! That's seamless-transition-level scumbag behavior!"
Sakura faltered. She had wanted to tell Ayaka the happy news—that Hayashi-kun had called her "onee-san"—but in the end, she swallowed the words, worried it might affect his reputation.
"Well… putting that aside, it went really well. Very harmonious. Hayashi-kun wasn't pretentious at all. Just… when we parted, he seemed a little unhappy."
"Unhappy? Why?" Ayaka was genuinely surprised. For Sakura to notice someone else's mood was unusual in itself.
"…I invited him to my house for dinner, but he refused. Did I… say something wrong?"
"…Pfft—!"
Ayaka nearly choked on her own spit. Her eyes bulged.
Sakura… you're way too straightforward!
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/Kazenova223
If you guys wanna check it out.